The simple trick to becoming a genius
If you were to form a surface-level impression of Leonardo da Vinci, it would be hard to come to any other conclusion other than that he was a genius. Plain and simple. And that conclusion would indeed be right. But was he born a genius? Not necessarily. The key to Leonardo da Vinci’s genius was Read More...
Urban heat: can white roofs help cool world’s warming cities?
It has long been known that installing white roofs helps reduce heat buildup in cities. But new research indicates that making surfaces more light-reflecting can have a significant impact on lowering extreme temperatures – not just in cities, but in rural areas as Read More...
What’s a proton battery? Three things you need to know.
Most of your everyday electronics run off of lithium batteries — you know, the ones that you can never seem to find in your drawer when the remote is dead? Yet the days of the double-A may be ending. Researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia have created a prototype of an alternative Read More...
Politeness can sometimes hurt more than it helps
Ryan — a brilliant, enthusiastic young scientist — spent a two-year layover in my neuroscience laboratory between his undergrad studies in Vancouver, B.C., and graduate school on the East Coast. On his last day in California, we sat over drinks, reflecting on his plans for the future. I offered Read More...
Why acting like a lion will help you win—and why no one should want to be a goat
When tourists travel halfway around the world to go on safari, what do they want to see? Which animal is at the top of their list? Usually, it’s the lion. When they show pictures of their trip to friends back home, the first question they hear is, “Did you see any Read More...
Protecting tigers could be beneficial for their prey
Protecting one of Asia's most formidable apex predators may not seem like the most obvious way to help another species that might be on its dinner menu, but that is precisely what Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is doing in Sumatra's Kerinci Seblat National Park, the second-largest national Read More...
MIT scientists aim to bring nuclear fusion energy to the grid within 15 years
The promise of harnessing safe, zero-carbon energy from nuclear fusion may soon become a reality thanks to a newly available superconducting material. The problem thus far with fusion energy is that it only produces net energy at temperatures too hot for any solid material to withstand. With this Read More...
Immunotherapy is becoming more powerful thanks to new cancer-killing hydrogel
Researchers have developed a new hydrogel that can be injected directly to the site of a tumor, where it stays to slowly release its payload of immunotherapy drugs for longer. By doing this, the immunotherapy drugs can gradually and precisely target cancer cells until the job is done. In studies so Read More...
Why California is a taking a break from generating new solar energy
California is well ahead of state targets for sourcing 25 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2020. In fact, the Golden State is producing so much renewable energy, particularly from solar, that it's taking a break from new renewable projects. California is regularly shunting electricity Read More...
Canadian currency will soon feature its first Canadian woman
Seventy-two years after Viola Desmond went to jail for refusing to leave the whites-only section of a movie theater, her efforts fighting for civil rights are being recognized. Last week, Canada unveiled its new $10 Canadian dollar bill featuring a portrait of Desmond. The Civil rights pioneer was Read More...